Symkus column: Is it better if it’s a blockbuster?

Ed Symkus More Content Now

Monday

May 11, 2020 at 8:21 AMMay 11, 2020 at 8:21 AM

Movie studios traditionally depend on huge summer seasons, featuring big box office draws, and are always hoping to top the previous summer season. It’s been that way since 1975, when Steven Spielberg made the first blockbuster, “Jaws,” which, to date, has brought in $485 million at box offices around the world. But with most theaters shuttered for the foreseeable future, there’s not going to be a summer movie season in 2020.

The tent poles that were supposed to open, among them “Fast & Furious 9,” “Morbius,” and “Infinite,” have been pushed to next year. “Wonder Woman 1984,” “Top Gun: Maverick,” and “Free Guy” are now slated for later this year. But with COVID-19 problems still causing uncertainty, movie release dates are changing weekly. Some of them might skip theaters and go right to living room couch streams. But while things are being decided, we still need some sort of summer movie fix.

So, let’s take a look at summers past, at what ticket-buying moviegoers made the biggest summer hits. If you believe that a movie is worth seeing because it’s incredibly popular, then here are some films you might think about buying or renting for home viewing. These are the top three summer moneymakers released between mid-May and Labor Day for the past 40 years. Are they good movies? You decide.